


The night falls upon the forest that weeps

by behzaintfunny



Category: Football RPF
Genre: ...Sorry, But it's cute too I swear, Cats, Coughing, Domestic Fluff, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Traditional Bosnian flu remedies, Warnings for mention of war and graphic coughing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/behzaintfunny/pseuds/behzaintfunny
Summary: "If it really is death, then so be it. If the devil wears Edin's features and speaks with his gentle, kind voice, then he shall remain in this hell forever."Day 9 of the 30 Day challenge - nursing the sick one.





	The night falls upon the forest that weeps

Aleks had never felt such an awful ache in his legs and lungs, running through walls of unrelenting rain towards the train station that glimmered distantly. His eyes, heavy lidded and tingling with frost, fail him as an uneven bit of the pavement catches his foot. He plounges arms first onto the cold floor, mere seconds to collect his breath as he utters words that are only appropriate during storms under the cover of night. He gets up without thinking, his knees surely bleeding because nothing could hurt this much, and runs even faster when he sees the train has already stopped at the station. Aleks looks behind momentarily, the memory of a ticket machine distinct in his head but the cold mixed with the pain successfully take away his remaining sense of rationality.

When he runs into the dimly lit train, it is with a heavy sigh and a half-hearted laugh, hollow as it may be. For a few fleeting moments, he feels impossibly inhumane, as though the merciless weather had taken all the remnants of humanity from the clutch of his body. He looks up and into the distance, a careless hand going over his eyes so that they don't miss a thing. The stars are still glistening the same, through a thick layer of rain ridden glass, under the withered trees and the forest that weeps. No storm can take that away from him.

The force of the train starting takes him off his feet as he falls onto the nearest seat with close to no care. He feels a distant ache in his spine, close to being missed, as his head falls to lean against the cold window pane. He stretches his legs, desperately needing to untangle every knot in his muscles. The clouds of air that escape his lips leave a heavy mist flowing through the distinctly sterile air, and a strong smell of dark coffee that tingles inside of his nostrils.

The distant hammering of droplets of rain on the window panes lulls him to sleep, a shallow, dreamless sleep that takes his senses away. His skin tingles with the most insistent shiver but he loses awareness of his frostbitten fingertips and aching knees. It feels good not to hurt anymore, he thinks.

When the distant scent of coffee becomes more and more annoying, he relunctantly opens his eyes. Before him is a man not much younger than him, completely unaffected by the unrelenting weather, a red umbrella with a slight tinge of purple in hand alongside an empty cup of coffee. He is leaning against the nearby seat, examining the frown that has emerged onto Aleks' face.

"Are you getting out now? Sorry for waking you up." the man says, a voice warm like honey but thick with a very heavy accent, "This is the last stop."

Aleks' heart may have skipped a beat or two at those words, eyes madly seeking the familiar crappy wooden benches and a station that is falling apart, but cannot find either. Instead, a very grand train station, seemingly recently redone and very much unlike his own. The man chuckles, meaning lost on him and running down his body like no freezing cold rain ever could.

_What now, then?_

"I missed my stop." Aleks croaks, his throat constricting around every letter, resulting in a coughing fit, "I'll just wait for the next one. It's fine."

"The next train departs at 7am..." the man stalls, "It's just about reaching 2."

Aleks rubs at his tired eyes, praying that this be a cheap nightmare, but the man's disgustingly own scent never seems to evade him. He looks down at his exposed arms, tattoos all but forgotten underneath the stiff hairs that cannot bear the cold. He peeks at the man's black jacket with envy, twitching in his seat.

"I suppose I'll have to stay at the station, will the time away." Aleks manages to say, "It looks warm enough."

"Don't be such an idiot."

His eyebrow raises in peaked curiosity at the slight change of tone in the man's warm voice. His cheeks, too, are painted a faint pink, he notices, though he wears it much better than Aleks ever did. The man shimmies out of his jacket, long pale arms twitching with strained effort, however slight. He holds it before Aleks' hands, a silent invitation.

"You're coming with me."

Clearly, it is no question.

It's a demand.

The jacket practically reeks of the man's scent, expensive cologne mixed with cheap coffee and sweat alike. It engulfs Aleks, noticeably too large for his build. It almost feels as though the man himself is embracing Aleks like this, private and intimate, his warmth passing onto Aleks like the most precious of gifts. They walk together in comfortable silence, the moon serving as their only companion, in an empty station that doesn't lose its charm even in the eternal darkness. He looks at and stranger, studies the wrinkles around his eyes from too much laughter and cannot help but wonder what it would take to make him laugh. He coughs yet again, into the soft material of the borrowed jacket, dizzy with tiredness.

"Forgive me, I never did catch your name." the man chimes, as though Aleks wasn't coughing his lungs out in a rather worrisome manner. _Right_.

"It's Aleks. Just Aleks."

The man hums as they walk out into a path that leads to a nice-looking, clean neighbourhood. Whatever this place is, it leaves Aleks utterly baffled with every step he takes.

He smiles, looking down at Aleks with strangely cheerful eyes, "My name is Edin."

If it rings a bell, he cannot explain why. Nor can he explain the warm feeling in his heart at the sound of those few letters put together that create a perfect whole, much greater than _Aleksandar Kolarov_ will ever be. To his credit, he isn't putting blind trust into a stranger. It's Edin. Somehow, that alone makes all the difference.

Edin's apartment is messily furnished, pieces that do not go together whatsoever alongside piles of books and rays of white cat hair. _Oh, joy._ Before he can voice his thoughts, a quiet clicking of paws on wooden panels becomes more and more insistent until said paws start clinging against his soaked jeans. The cat is surprisingly large, likely overfed, a ginormous ball of hair that walks.

Edin rushes to pick her up before she tears Aleks' trousers apart, two fingers running down the top of her head, "I'm sorry. She always gets overly enthusiastic when she meets someone new. Don't you, little one?"

The softness with which Edin adresses his cat, snug and safe in his arms, may have caused Aleks' knees to buckle a little. Not that he'd ever admit.

"You must be exhausted. The shower is yours to take, if you wish." Edin tells him as he frees the cat back onto the floor to run free, "I'll lend you some of my clothes until yours dry. They might be a little loose on you but it's better than catching a fever. You have an awful cough as it is."

Aleks cracks his knuckles and shifts from foot to foot, all too foreign in Edin's space. His eyes land on the piles of books with not a single layer of dust gracing them.

"What do you study?" he asks, following it with a strained cough.

"Law." Edin says, a hint of a frown daring to show on his face, "I want my kids to have a better, safer childhood than I did."

The weight of an unspoken apology for his kin's sins lays heavy between them. Suddenly, Edin is not the tall, intriguing stranger, but a little boy scared for his life that could have been taken away from him at any given moment. Out on the open streets painted with blood, the football pitches that were bombed unrelentingly, even in the solace of his own home. He sees through Edin just then, and what he sees brings the most unwelcome sorrow into the depths of his heart.

The idea of a shower seems more welcome than it ever has, all of a sudden. Aleks coughs, deep from inside his lungs, rocking throughout his entire body, before motioning for what appears to be the bathroom door.

"You can go." Edin says softly, "I'll prepare the couch for you."

Aleks misses the sheepish hint of a smile on Edin's face the second he turns around.

He strips off the clothes that cling onto his body, feeling all too exposed for his liking even in a tightly shut room. He looks at himself in the mirror for a few fleeting moments, shivering at the very sight, dark bags under his constantly wary eyes. He licks his lips, unbearably dry under his tongue, as dozens of conflicting thoughts run inside his mind. He shuts them away with the shower, water that is edging on being too hot so unlike the rain his skin reeks of. It cleanses him in an almost spiritual way, blood that runs down his shins and down the drain symbolising the bodies that have likely fallen underneath this very building. It eases the tense feeling in his spine, massages at his scalp and cleanses his lungs. Bursts of hot air welcome themseleves in his throat, causing another fit of coughing to begin. It reverberates in the small shower and likely through the whole apartment. When he opens his eyes, he sees phlegm running down his hand and onto the floor. He leans against the wall and readies himself for more, the ache in his throat becoming more and more unbearable. He sinks down onto the floor and hugs his knees close to his chest, sleep daring to take him away.

He must have missed the knock on the door because, before his very eyes, on the side of the washing machine, is a large baby blue sweater accompanied by vintage looking white shorts with the number 10 embled on the side. Sušic, _of course_. He doesn't even have to think twice. They feel odd on his legs, slightly loose around his hips and daring to fall off until he tightens them forcefully. The sweater smells like washing detergent of the cheapest kind, not Edin. He fails to hide his almost childish disappointment.

When he walks out of the bathroom that overflows with steam, it is to see Edin looking around pots and pans whilist loudly talking on the phone in Bosnian. He seems so much in his element that it causes Aleks to smile, so much affection for a man he had met not long ago that cannot be easily explained or understood. When he notices Aleks, he hangs up after exhanging goodbyes and pleasantries.

"That was my grandmother," Edin says, the smile not having left his face yet, "She always did know how to treat all kinds of sickness."

Aleks reluctantly sits at the table when he sees a cup of tea that has cooled down just enough while he was in the shower.

"It's _kupina_ ," Edin explains, pointing at the mug, "It's supposed to help with the flu. We have other, better methods, but I didn't want to scare you away."

Aleks sips at the tea that is just pleasantly warm, bringing some relief to his aching throat but not nearly enough, "I really don't think you could."

Edin sets a small pot on the counter before placing his hands against his hips and tilting his head, "Tell me, Aleks, have you ever had a Bosnian grandmother? Have you had to endure being sick in a traditional Bosniak family?"

"How bad can it be?" he says once the tea has numbened his throat enough, "We're all Balkan here."

Edin smiles, but it doesn't meet his eyes.

He reaches to the top drawer and brings out a jar full of sugar. He takes out a carton of milk from the fridge alongside some butter before placing it down on the counter next to him. He looks at Aleks who is thoroughly stunned around his cup of tea.

"If you want to instantly feel better, then this is the one true way." Edin says, the corner of his lips raising in a slightly amused smirk, "But, it is not the most pleasant."

Aleks nods tiredly, another coughing fit coming over him almost instantly. Edin falls into a comfortably domestic silence. Aleks feels rather than sees Edin's cat jumping to lie on his thighs, but he doesn't will her away. She is really warm against the material of the shorts and although Aleks was never keen on cats, he thinks he could get used to her. It's a scary thought, one he forces away quickly. He focuses on petting her instead, running his fingers through her smooth hair until she starts purring. That peaks Edin's attention who looks at them with an almost pitiful smile from over at the stove. Aleks listens to the sugar and butter sizzling, albeit not the most beautiful of sounds. He sees Edin pouring in the milk and mixing for dear life, all the while leaning against the counter, almost dangerously close to the stove. He looks at the cat instead, her blue eyes watching him with curiosity. It's almost therapeutic, the way she feels against his hands. The tea is quickly far forgotten.

All is calm until Edin places a tall glass in the middle of the table and pours the disgustingly thick liquid from inside the pot into it until it reaches the very top. He looks at it with reverence, memories of his childhood all too real, but the good ones, only the good ones. He looks at Aleks with expectance, impatience even.

"What am I supposed to do with that?"

Edin laughs, short and ironic but no less genuine, "You drink it while its scourging hot. I'd explain how exactly it works but I didn't make all of this to go to waste... You'll feel better. You have my word."

He looks at Edin with disbelief before reluctantly picking up the glass. He doesn't miss the way the liquid barely moves at all, more of a solid presence, really, than something you can drink. With Edin's silent encouragement, his eyes gently looking into his own, he takes the first sip. He almost doesn't take the second.

"I know, I know!" Edin laughs, "You need to trust me, _Aleks_. Once it's all down your throat, it'll work the magic and you'll finally breathe more easily."

The buttery taste is unpleasant-- _no_ , that doesn't cut it. It is the single worst taste he had ever experienced, one he doesn't wish to ever experience again. It almost burns down his throat, not easy to swallow and even less easy to go down. Edin looks at him with almost amused eyes all throughout. Once it is all finally chugged, he scrunches his face with restrained disgust. Edin starts clapping and lets out a laugh before he can stop it at the frown that graces Aleks' face.

"It'll only kick in in about thirty minutes, you know?" Edin queries, "I can turn on the TV in the meantime, make the time pass by a little quicker. Do you like the Lord of the Rings?"

Aleks doesn't really listen, instead already making a beeline for the soft-looking couch that has blankets draped all over, the cat comfortable in his arms. He can almost feel Edin's grin at the back of his neck.

They sit at a relatively close distance, to Aleks' surprise, the cat the only thing between them. She is occassionally being pet by Edin, fully content in disrupting their moment. Edin has changed into more comfortable clothing, sweatpants alongside some old t-shirt that still makes him look more put-together than Aleks ever has. The action is just building up in the first movie of the grand trilogy, Bilbo discussing the matters of the ring with the wizard. Aleks reaches to pet the cat instinctively, instead meeting Edin's hand, warm underneath his own. He flinches away instantly out of repulsion but mostly the gut-wrenching feeling in his chest. Edin doesn't miss it, looking at him with almost pitiful worry.

"I think you already know where the bathroom is." Edin says, "Maybe it's best that you're alone when it happens. I'll just clean the sink afterwards."

As Aleks feels the ache in his chest again, he reaches for Edin's hand, this time with real purpose, and holds on for dear life, "You mustn't leave me. Not now."

Not ever, is somehow left unspoken.

As he looks at his reflection in the mirror, Edin's face contentedly next to his, it brings up an odd sense of nostalgia he cannot begin to explain. He watches Edin's eyes meet his own in the reflection and holds his hand tightly before the actual, real effect alas kicks in. Aleks' chest convulses painfully as he starts coughing out everything that had been stuck inside his lungs, the old phlegm and the new. It all comes out with surprising ease and surprising pain, as Aleks tightens his hold on Edin's hand even more. He simply cannot stop coughing, even if he tried. Edin's other hand runs down his back in a comforting manner, though he cannot truly appreciate the kind gesture, not when his whole body convulses repeatedly. It lasts a few ridiculously long minutes before the sink is filled discomfortingly with all his phlegm. To his surprise, the cough stops almost immediately and he feels much more at ease than before. Edin takes him into his arms then, almost a fatherly embrace that is meant to plounge hope back into his body. Really, it works. He melts underneath Edin's arms, their slow breathing the only sound in the room around them. Edin takes him back to the couch, the movie still playing albeit much has been missed.

Edin looks down at him gently, "I'll be right back. Try not to scare the cat away."

To his surprise, the cat runs straight into his arms, a very welcome comfort after possibly the worst physical pain he has ever endured. She starts licking at the dried tears on the sides of his cheek, causing him to smile just the littlest bit. Aleks notices the distant sound of the sink being run, but he tries his hardest to stay grounded in this moment, not to overthink everything around him.

Once Edin comes back, the cat has ran away, and he has settled underneath the heavy blankets offered to him. He pays almost no attention to the movie, really, just letting his gaze fall onto the screen. Edin walks up to him with a glass of water, which Aleks accepts gladly, and kneels down next to his side.

"Go to sleep." Edin says softly, rearranging the blankets around Aleks' body, "I'll still be here when you wake up. You have no reason to worry."

The truth is, he doesn't want to. He never wishes to close his eyes and escape this single moment in eternity that bears so much importance. He doesn't want to miss a single blink of Edin's eyes, Edin's gorgeous eyes that couldn't leave his side even as he convulsed in the worst coughing fit of his life. Sleep is a little death, his grandmother used to tell him, and dreams, mere whispers of a much greater reality. With each time we close our eyes for good, we may never open them again. Aleks' hand seeks Edin's own and clutches not nearly as forcefully as it did before, instead enjoying the weight and warmth of it that is unlike anything else in this world. Edin's entire embiance causes him to feel sleepy, as though this was a creation of his mind all along and it is time to wake up. A little death, indeed, or the lands beyond it where he shall never get enough of Edin's smile. If it really is death, then so be it. If the devil wears Edin's features and speaks with his gentle, kind voice, then he shall remain in this hell forever.

"Thank you, Edin." he quietly says, "Thank you for everything."

Edin's smile was worth mustering all this courage to be frank about his feelings. He truly meant every single word.

For now, he sleeps. He doesn't catch the moment Edin's hands slips away from his. He dreams of vast pitches and crowded locker rooms, sweat and an olympic stadium far greater than anything he has ever seen. In his dream, he runs and runs and runs, Edin to his side no matter what, and he never feels exhausted for a moment because of the fatal determination that flows through his veins. Crystal clear skies and skin on skin, gray England and merry Italy, gasps of pleasure and of sorrow. Plane tickets and contracts, constant running away, an array of nameless faces alongside Edin's.

He dreams of being more than he was destined to be. He dreams of _meaning something_ , of serving a purpose. He dreams of another life, another destiny, and, mostly, of love.

**Author's Note:**

> Kupina is a type of berry that really does have those healing properties alongside many more.  
> Don't blame me for how disgusting this remedy is, blame the Bosniaks. I did a Lot of research on this stuff and I am likely just as disgusted as you are. As an Easten European though, I can tell you most of those disgusting-sounding things are probably true! We're just weird like that.
> 
> The title is from a song by Wintersun called "The forest that weeps". I encourage everyone to listen to it.
> 
> Aaaaand as per usual, each kudos and comment means the absolute world to me. Don't be afraid. You can write anything and I'll most likely just smile!


End file.
